Ohio State Buckeyes: Big 10

SUGAR HILL, Ga. -- Several talented quarterbacks took the field at the Atlanta Elite 11 regional camp on Friday. Though no official invites for the Elite 11 finals, held in Beaverton, Ore. in July, were extended, there were five finalists with potential to eventually earn an invite. The finalists included Anthony Ratliff, Austin King, Kendall Hinton, Ross Trail and Alex Malzone. Four of the five finalists were from out-of-state. King is from Alpharetta, Ga.

The Early Offer is RecruitingNation's regular feature, giving you a daily dose of recruiting in the mornings. Today’s offerings: One of the better defensive back prospects in Florida is heading to Ohio State, and Urban Meyer is a big reason why; this weekend is Missouri’s chance to impress a number of top 2015 prospects; and one of the top 2015 prospects is making rounds on unofficial visits.

Meyer seals it for EdwardsThree-star safety Ben Edwards (Jacksonville, Fla./Trinity Christian) gave high marks to Ohio State assistants Tim Hinton and Chris Ash for playing a role in his decision to commit to the Buckeyes on Tuesday. But it was head coach Urban Meyer who made the biggest difference. “Who wouldn’t want to play for Coach Meyer?” Edwards said. “People down here in Florida still love him and talk about him all the time. He won two national championships and has always had winning teams. My family is also comfortable with me playing for him, so he definitely played a big factor in my decision.” Edwards picked Ohio State over offers from about 20 other teams.

Byes were aplenty Oct. 12 and 26 when only four games were played. No currently ranked teams played one another. (Although, OK, the Northwestern-Ohio State game was good at the time.) And only three of the 18 Big Ten matchups were decided by single digits.

But divvy up those Halloween treats, toss that costume to the back of the closet and rejoice. Boring, old October is no more. And the month of November is sure to be a much, much more entertaining one for the Big Ten.

Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesBrady Hoke and Michigan will face the heart of their schedule.

The Legends Division remains a three-team race for Michigan State, Michigan and Nebraska. And those three teams all play one other over the next three weeks, starting with the MSU-UM contest this weekend. Anything can still happen there.

Of course, there's also The Game to look forward to, while Buckeyes fans have plenty of other football to keep track of since they'll need outside help to rise to No. 2 in the BCS standings. There are plenty of other storylines, too. Nebraska and Northwestern are trying to reclaim their lost magic, Wisconsin is trying to prove it still deserves a major bowl bid, and other teams such as Iowa and Minnesota are trying to show they're capable of pulling the upsets.

October was a month to forget. File that away. Pretend it never happened. And enjoy November.

Team with the most to prove: Michigan. Are the Wolverines the kind of team that wins championships or just talks about them? We're still not entirely sure what their identity is. Their signature win, against Notre Dame, happened in Week 2 when Devin Gardner was a 14-to-1 Heisman wager. Oh, how things have changed. They slipped past nonconference cupcakes Akron and UConn before dropping a quadruple-overtime game against PSU that they never should've lost. UM's identity will be formed this month; its season will be remembered based on what it does in November. Look at the slate: MSU, Nebraska, Northwestern, Iowa, Ohio State. This is the heart of the Wolverines' schedule, and we're still awaiting the verdict of just how good this team is. It still has the potential to finish near the top and spoil Ohio State's season -- or finish in the middle of the pack and be a nonfactor.

Team with the most to lose: Ohio State. This answer is obvious for obvious reasons. The Buckeyes are riding a national-best 20-game winning streak right now. With some outside help -- we're looking at you, Alabama, Oregon and Florida State -- the Buckeyes could play in the national championship. When the title's on the line, that's a lot to gain -- and it's certainly a lot to lose. One loss is all it's going to take to crush the Buckeyes' hopes.

Three players to keep an eye on: Ohio State QB Braxton Miller, Penn State WR Allen Robinson and Wisconsin RB Melvin Gordon. Let's touch on each one. Miller finally appears to be a quarterback doubling as an athlete instead of the other way around. Said Urban Meyer: "Braxton is officially a quarterback at Ohio State now. He wasn't last year." Penn State head coach Bill O'Brien called him one of the five best players in the nation and, now that he's healthy, he could be in for quite the month.

So could one of O'Brien's top players, Robinson. The junior wideout could leave early for the NFL, but not before breaking some more single-season records at Penn State. He's on pace to shatter Bobby Engram's record for receiving yards (1,084), as he needs just 207 yards over the next five games. And he needs just 23 receptions to break the single-season receptions record, which is held by a pretty good PSU wideout in, well, Robinson himself. (He set it last year with 77.)

And Gordon? Well, he has a shot to be the nation's leading rusher as he currently sits fifth (1,012 yards). And he already boasts the nation's best yards-per-carry average at 9.5, more than 2 yards better than Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah. Gordon is the best running back in the Big Ten and belongs in the conversation as the best overall player.

Biggest trap game: Indiana vs. Ohio State on Nov. 23. It's the week before The Game, so it's a conference contest that could easily be overlooked. The Hoosiers are a 3-4 team right now and don't exactly strike fear into the Buckeyes. They're not balanced, not great and not defensively good. But, if the Buckeyes have an Achilles' heel, it's their pass defense. And Indiana has the most up-tempo passing offense in the conference. The Hoosiers might be able to match the Buckeyes' penchant for scoring. And, if the defense can string together a few big plays, maybe -- just maybe -- Indiana has a shot. At the very least, it's a trap game.

Fearless November prediction: Michigan State and Ohio State will end up playing each other in the Big Ten title game. The Buckeyes are the easy pick, and the Spartans' Connor Cook and Jeremy Langford have taken big steps forward since the beginning of the season. Michigan State's defense is easily the best in the Big Ten, maybe in the country, and the offense is no longer anemic. The Buckeyes are the best team in the conference, no doubt. But the Spartans are No. 2. And they'll face OSU in the conference championship.

Four games are on the slate in Big Ten play this week as Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana and Purdue take a break. Here's a dose of fact and figures to preview the final weekend of October:

A victory for Nebraska on Saturday over Minnesota would make the Huskers eligible to participate in a bowl game. And not just any bowl game. It would be the Huskers' 50th. Only Alabama and Texas have appeared in 50 bowl games. The Huskers have outscored three opponents 142-46 since losing to UCLA on Sept. 14. That's an average victory margin of 32 points. Impressive, but it's not as dominant as the Huskers' recent history against Minnesota. Nebraska has won 16 straight in the series -- the last 12 by an average margin of 40.2 points.

Minnesota, meanwhile, needs a win, too, to gain bowl eligibility, a milestone that hasn't exactly been kind to the Gophers over the past decade. They've lost five straight bowl games since 2004. Still, the progress in Minneapolis is difficult to ignore. Minnesota has won 11 of its past 20 games, averaging 24.7 points. In its previous 20 games, it was 5-15 and scored 19.7 points per game. Much of the improvement can be traced to growth in the Gophers' ground game. Four players this year have rushed for 100 yards or more in a game -- a feat Minnesota last accomplished in 1967.

Michigan State, attempting to start 7-1 or better for the second time in seven seasons and third time in the past 46, is on some kind of a roll defensively. The Spartans rank first nationally in total defense, yards per play, rush defense and yards per rushing attempt. MSU has won 11 of the past 12 meetings with Illinois, and all but two of those 11 victories have come by 10 points or more.

Defensively, Illinois could not present more of a stark contrast to the Spartans. The Illini, in the same categories mentioned above, rank 104th, 110th, 106th and 111th nationally. Not good. Neither are the Illini's 16 straight Big Ten losses. That's the worst run in school history. But Illinois must do a lot more work to reach Northwestern's Big Ten record of 38 consecutive league losses, set from 1978 to 1982.

Penn State has defeated Ohio State in two of the team's past three meetings at the Horseshoe -- wins in 2008 and 2011 that were later vacated. Since 2004, the Nittany Lions are the only team with more than one win in Columbus. The rest of the Big Ten, in fact, has combined for just three over that time.

Ohio State has won a national-best 19 straight games since Urban Meyer's arrival. A victory on Saturday over Penn State would make Meyer the sixth coach in major-college history to open his tenure at a school with 20 consecutive wins. Pop Warner holds the all-time record with 30 straight to open his time at Pitt from 1915 to 1918. Others ahead of Meyer include Fielding Yost (Michigan), Walter Camp (Yale), Larry Coker (Miami) and Terry Bowden, who won his first 20 games at Auburn in 1993 and 1994. Meyer has won 20 straight games, including his final contest at Florida, for the third time in his career. He is among nine coaches ever to record more than one 20-game winning streak. None of the others are active.

The best barometer through which to gauge Northwestern's success, aside from injuries, might be turnovers. Last week in losing 20-17 to Minnesota, perhaps the most disappointing of three consecutive defeats for the Wildcats, Northwestern failed to force a turnover for the first time since a win over Iowa one year ago this weekend. The Wildcats rank first in the conference and 14th nationally this year with 17 takeaways. Before last week, they had snagged an interception in 10 consecutive games. Northwestern has converted its 17 turnovers into 72 points on nine touchdowns and three field goals.

Want to believe Iowa can't lose on Saturday -- or for that matter, to another Big Ten team this season? The Hawkeyes' three losses this year have come against teams with a combined record of 20-1; its five remaining foes are 21-13. Iowa's defense has held every opponent this season under its rushing average. Iowa foes have scored four red-zone touchdowns, the fewest of any team in the country. The two rushing touchdowns it has allowed ties Iowa with Alabama and Florida State for the fewest nationally. Last one: Iowa has allowed just five sacks this season, the seventh-lowest total nationally.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Braxton Miller might no longer be on the short list of Heisman candidates, but Bill O'Brien said Tuesday afternoon that he's still one of the nation's five best players.

"It's a very difficult challenge playing a guy like Braxton Miller -- in my opinion one of the top five players in the country," the Penn State head coach said. "He's improved immensely since being in the system."

O'Brien praised the Ohio State quarterback throughout his weekly 30-minute news conference, saying it takes a special player to lead a team to a 19-game winning streak and to a No. 4 ranking in the BCS.

PSU will travel to Columbus, Ohio, for an 8 p.m. showdown against Miller and the Buckeyes on Saturday.

"I don't know Braxton Miller, but I do know that he's throwing the ball very well," O'Brien said. "He's accurate. He's making plays on third down in the passing game. He obviously understands coverage, and he's just doing a really, really good job of running that offense in all facets of that offense. It's a very difficult challenge."

O'Brien received a close look at Miller last season, when he strolled into Beaver Stadium and wreaked havoc on the Nittany Lions' defense. The dual-threat signal-caller accounted for nearly three-quarters of the offense, rushing for 134 yards and two TDs and throwing for another 143 yards and a score. (Tailback Carlos Hyde managed just 55 yards on 22 carries.)

The Buckeyes won that game, 35-23, and O'Brien knows it won't be any easier this weekend since Miller's enjoyed another year in Urban Meyer's system. And, on the flip side, O'Brien has fewer defensive players to work with this season.

"I thought they played really well offensively against Iowa. And, if he gets outside of the pocket, he's a dangerous guy," O'Brien said. "We've got to play hard and play with great effort and do the best we can to keep him in there and, when he gets out, we have to make sure that we understand our scramble rules."

Miller missed two games this season after suffering an MCL sprain in Week 2. He's completed nearly 70 percent of his passes, thrown for 831 yards and has eight touchdowns compared to two picks. On the ground, he has 335 yards and is averaging 4.5 yards a carry.

He boasts the highest quarterback rating (160.0) and completion rate (69.6) in the Big Ten.

Melvin Gordon isn't the only tailback to watch for Wisconsin. As a team, the Badgers are setting some precedent here with their success on the ground. They're currently averaging a national-best 7.07 yards per rush, which is the third-highest average -- through six games -- in the last decade. Only 2011 Oregon (7.24) and 2008 UL-Lafayette (7.55) have fared better.

Northwestern is hoping to get back on track following back-to-back losses. But what's the big reason for those losses? Take a look at the points per drive. The Wildcats scored 2.6 points per drive in the first four games. In the last two, that number decreased to 1.2. More than one-third of their drives against Ohio State and Wisconsin also resulted in a three-and-out. The defense isn't a strength, but the offense needs to do better for Northwestern to rebound.

If the Golden Gophers win and climb to 5-2, this would be their best start since the 2008 season, when they sat at 7-1 and found themselves at No. 20 in the AP poll. Back in 2008, though, Northwestern closed the chapter on Minnesota's success. The Wildcats beat the Gophers, and Minnesota then dropped five straight games to finish the year at 7-6.

Braxton Miller has been absolutely key for the Buckeyes ever since he took over in 2011, and his success has also dictated OSU's success in large part. Ohio State is 13-1 when Miller reaches the 200-yard mark in total yards. When he is held to less than 200 yards? The Buckeyes are 7-5.

We knew the Hawkeyes' defense was good -- they're No. 9 nationally in total defense -- but their red-zone defense has been just ridiculous. Opponents are scoring touchdowns on just 11.1 percent of their red zone trips, the best margin in the nation. By far. Oregon is second at 33.3 percent. Iowa's percentage is the best for an FBS team through six games in ... let's see here ... the last 10 years.

Michigan has several streaks to keep an eye on this week. Wideout Jeremy Gallon has posted a reception in 32 straight games, the defense hasn't allowed a 100-yard rusher in seven straight games, and linebacker Desmond Morgan has recorded at least four tackles in 21 straight regular-season games.

Illinois' Josh Ferguson probably isn't the first name that jumps to mind when thinking about versatile running backs. But he currently leads the nation in receiving yards by a tailback with 344 yards on 20 receptions.

True freshman quarterback Danny Etling is the starter for Purdue now -- but he's hardly the only freshman to get playing time. The Boilermakers started six freshmen on offense alone last week, 17 freshmen earned playing time, and 34 of Purdue's 70 players on the travel roster are underclassmen. The Boilermakers don't have much to celebrate right now, but they're certainly young.

Offenses don't stay on the field long when they're playing Michigan State. The Spartans boast the nation's top defense, statistically, when it comes to yards allowed -- but there's a much more interesting stat behind that one. Mark Dantonio's squad has forced opponents to three-and-outs on 40 of 82 possessions, which is also the nation's best. Teams are averaging 6.7 three-and-outs per game when they're forced to go up against Michigan State.

The Hoosiers' up-tempo offense is setting all sorts of records this season. Here's just a few notable records and stats: Indiana has scored 28 points in a program-best seven straight games; IU's school record of seven 300-yard passing games ended last week; Ted Bolser leads the nation's tight ends with five TDs; and 20 of the Hoosiers' 60 scoring drives have taken five or fewer plays.

1. Can Iowa's defense slow down Braxton Miller and the Buckeyes? The Hawkeyes boast a solid group of linebackers, and the Hawkeyes are ranked ninth in the country in total defense and 12th in scoring defense. Still, they haven't faced an offense anywhere close in talent to Ohio State, and it'll be interesting to see how Kirk Ferentz's squad matches up. For Ohio State, it hasn't mattered who's lined up under center or in the backfield. The Buckeyes have posted at least 31 points in every game -- and 40 points in five out of six. Iowa hasn't allowed more than 30 points all season. Something has to give.

2. Big injuries at Northwestern: The Wildcats' read-option could be in trouble Saturday. Both quarterback Kain Colter and tailback Venric Mark are nursing injuries, and they're both listed as questionable. Even if they do return, neither will be at 100 percent -- and both are crucial to a team that's been forced to rely on a high-scoring offense to win.

3. Different head coach, different starting quarterback: A lot has changed for Minnesota in the past few weeks. In Week 1, it looked as if Philip Nelson was the quarterback of the future and head coach Jerry Kill would lead this team to continued improvement. Now? Well, Mitch Leidner has been promoted to starting quarterback, while Kill has taken a leave of absence due to seizures. Defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys will take over for Kill on Saturday, and Claeys will be coaching from the sideline -- he usually coaches from the press box -- against Northwestern. Claeys still plans to call the defensive plays, so he'll have to spend some time committing those play calls to memory. He won't have those charts in front of him anymore.

4. Michigan's response: The Wolverines suffered a heartbreaker in Happy Valley, as they couldn't put the game away despite several chances. They're now set to face the team, Indiana, that bounced the Nittany Lions. Michigan may have five wins already on the season, but it's been extremely shaky. A convincing win against the Hoosiers -- and their Big Ten-best passing attack -- could go a long way in showing this team is still a contender. And, of course, that all starts with Devin Gardner.

5. Inexperience no problem for this defensive line: The Buckeyes had to rebuild their defensive line from scratch this season as no starters returned, but these young players have stepped up in a big way. They slowed down Wisconsin's running attack and have contributed to the sixth-best run defense in the nation. True freshman DE Joey Bosa is listed as the starter against Iowa this week, and he already has four tackles for loss and a touchdown listed next to his name. Mark Weisman and the Hawkeyes will face a stiff test Saturday.

Keith Gillett/Icon SMIIllinois coach Tim Beckman says the players believe and are no longer saying "Can we do it" but instead are now saying "When we do it."

6. Illini still riding a conference-worst streak: Illinois has dropped 15 straight Big Ten games, which means it last won a conference game on Oct. 8, 2011, against Indiana. Illinois plays Purdue on Nov. 23 but, before then, there will be no easy victories. The Illini will play Wisconsin this weekend, followed by Michigan State, Penn State, Indiana and Ohio State. Luckily for Tim Beckman's crew, it's still nowhere close to the Big Ten record for the worst conference losing streak. That unfortunate record-holder would be Northwestern, which lost 38 straight Big Ten games between 1978 and 1982.

7. Spartans' offense in the midst of a turnaround: Early on, it seemed as if Michigan State's offense would be a liability all season. After all, in the first two games, the defense scored more touchdowns while Mark Dantonio couldn't settle on a quarterback. But Connor Cook has since taken over and the running game has taken off. Cook's QBR has taken a step up each week against the FBS, from 17.1 to 27.8 to 68.1 and, last Saturday, to 83.1. Jeremy Langford is also starting to make a name for himself, with four touchdowns this past week. The Spartans are trending upward, and they might be difficult to stop. It won't be easy for Purdue.

8. MGIII might be unstoppable the rest of the way: Yes, the Buckeyes limited Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon to 74 yards on 15 carries -- but he'll face just one more top-10 defense the rest of the regular season. He's third in the FBS with 870 rushing yards, ranks second nationally in yards per carry (9.7) among tailbacks and is 10th in the nation in rushing touchdowns (8). He's one of the most exciting players in the Big Ten, and every team going forward will likely struggle stopping him. His next opponent, Illinois, is allowing nearly 200 rushing yards a game.

9. Can Purdue do anything right? Nothing's been easy for Darrell Hazell's Boilermakers. They just scooted past FCS team Indiana State 20-14, and four of their five losses were decided by 31 points or more. Purdue's future hopes are pinned to true freshman quarterback Danny Etling. But, for now, there's no guarantee that Purdue will escape the 2013 season with another win. It's ranked No. 118 in scoring offense and, in scoring defense, it's ranked No. 114. At this point, Purdue would just be fortunate to hang in tough against Michigan State.

10. Home of inconsistent quarterbacks and good defenses: Welcome to the Big Ten! The conference boasts three teams (Michigan State, Iowa, Wisconsin) that are nationally ranked in the top 10 in total defense, and three more (Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State) that are within the top 20. Still, the passing offenses haven't exactly taken off as planned. The Big Ten's top QBs entering this season -- arguably Taylor Martinez, Gardner and Miller -- have either missed time due to injury or have been on the receiving end of some quarterback controversy.

There are still a ton of prospects on the board for Big Ten teams, so conference recruiting reporters Tom VanHaaren and Brad Bournival take a look at the best and worst case scenarios remaining for each team.

IllinoisBest-case scenario: Illinois picked up an offensive line commit on Monday with Peter Cvijanovic (Great Barrington, Mass./East Coast Prep), which gives the Illini two offensive line commits. Despite having four wide receiver commits on board, it looks like the staff would take another receiver in this class.

1. Will the real Devin Gardner please stand up: The Michigan quarterback has been an anomaly in the last three weeks. He exceeded expectations against Notre Dame, the toughest test so far this season, but struggled against two cupcake opponents. He competed 64 percent of his passes against the Irish; he went 11-of-23 against UConn. He threw four touchdowns to one interception against Notre Dame; he posted three picks against Akron. He's going up against a middle-of-the-road Minnesota defense Saturday, and no one's quite sure what Gardner is going to show up. Is he finished struggling against mediocre competition? Or is this just the new normal?

2. Sixteen tries, zero wins: Since 1993, Indiana has played Penn State 16 times. And, since 1993, the Hoosiers have beaten the Nittany Lions a grand total of … zero times. They've come close on six occasions -- losing by just one score -- but Indiana's hoping to reverse that trend this weekend. Redshirt senior Ted Bolser has watched his team fall to Penn State four times now, and he doesn't want to make it five. This will be the most up-tempo team PSU faces all season, and Indiana's hoping to catch the visitors off guard.

Tony Ding/AP PhotoThe return of running back Venric Mark is a huge boost for Northwestern as it tries to upset No. 4 Ohio State on Saturday.

3. Venric Mark returns: The Wildcats' offense is about to get quite the boost, as Mark will return after sitting out the last three games with a leg injury. He rushed for more than 1,300 yards last season and he comes back at just the right time for Northwestern. He's a big part of the option attack, which just hasn't been the same without him. And he'll likely play a big role against the Buckeyes. It's great timing for Northwestern -- and terrible timing for OSU.

4. Epic defensive matchup: At the final whistle, the Michigan State-Iowa score might just end up looking like a baseball tally. The Spartans boast the nation's top-ranked defense, while Iowa isn't too far behind at No. 7. No other game so far this year has pitted two top-seven defenses against one another, and this should be an exciting one for fans who prefer low-scoring contests. The Spartans have come up with nine sacks and 24 tackles-for-loss in just four games, while Iowa ranks 12th in the country by forcing 11 turnovers.

5. Tailoring a game plan without Taylor Martinez: Martinez is still battling turf toe, and the Nebraska QB is questionable for Saturday's game against Illinois. If he can't go, offensive coordinator Tim Beck could opt to go with the same two-quarterback system he utilized against South Dakota State. That means redshirt freshman Tommy Armstrong Jr. and fifth-year senior Ron Kellogg III would split reps. Martinez started 32 consecutive games before the streak ended two weeks ago, so neither backup is exactly a proven commodity. Martinez could still play but, if he doesn't, there'll be quite a few extra question marks for the Huskers on Saturday.

6. Can Nathan Scheelhaase keep up this pace?: The Illini have already surpassed last season's win total, and Scheelhaase has been a big reason for that. He leads the conference in passing yards (1,162) and quarterback rating (174.8). Plus, he's second in completion percentage (67.2), yards per attempt (9.5) and passing touchdowns (12). At this point, it certainly seems as if he belongs on the All-Big Ten team. And it'll be interesting to see if Scheelhaase's huge numbers can continue. He's going up against Nebraska's 105th-ranked passing defense this weekend.

7. Seventeen and counting Ohio State's 17-game winning streak is on the line against No. 16 Northwestern, and this matchup is once again the Big Ten game of the week. A convincing win here would help boost the Buckeyes' No. 4 ranking in the polls, while a Northwestern victory would help cement the Wildcats' status as a title contender. Pat Fitzgerald has been looking for his gritty team to take the next step, and this is the perfect opportunity. Urban Meyer, meanwhile, hopes to increase the nation's best winning streak and to pave the way to the national title game. Ohio State's the favorite, but no one's counting out the Wildcats.

8. Redeeming the secondary: OK, there are a few Big Ten teams that could fit under the title of "struggling secondary," but there's one team where that identity isn't quite clear yet -- Penn State. The Nittany Lions actually boast the No. 23 passing defense, BUT they were absolutely dominated by Blake Bortles and UCF. Indiana's eighth-ranked passing attack will be a tough test for the PSU secondary. And this will go a long way in determining whether UCF was an anomaly, or whether big passing numbers will be the new norm for Penn State's defense.

9. Forgetting the pig in favor of a jug: After starting out 4-0 and then losing the Floyd of Rosedale to Iowa, the Golden Gophers will get another chance at a trophy -- in the battle for the Little Brown Jug against Michigan. Of course, Minnesota has only won the trophy three times since 1968. Still, Jerry Kill keeps a replica of the trophy on his desk, and this would be a program-defining upset. The Gophers need one of those, as they have a difficult schedule coming up and a bowl berth certainly isn't guaranteed. Four of their next five opponents are Michigan, Northwestern, Nebraska and Penn State.

10. Bradley Roby trying to get back on track: He gave up a few big plays against Cal and then, against Wisconsin, Jared Abbrederis lit him up to the tune of 207 yards for the biggest game a Badgers receiver has had in a decade. Roby wasn't made available to the media this week, but his teammates voiced confidence in the preseason All-American. He is -- was? -- considered one of the nation's top cornerbacks, but that title might be in jeopardy. He's undoubtedly looking for a big play or two to help silence the doubters. Northwestern doesn't have the most high-powered passing attack so, if Roby struggles this weekend, those critics will only get louder.

Iowa's group of linebackers: Where do we even begin? The trio finished 1-2-3 in tackles and led the defense to a dominating win over Minnesota. But the most impressive number wasn't found within the individual stats. Minnesota came into the game with the nation's 13th-ranked rushing offense and limped out with just 30 yards on 27 carries. Each linebacker contributed something different. Anthony Hitchens paced the Hawkeyes with 10 tackles, Christian Kirksey came up with an interception, and James Morris finished with a sack and a pick. They came up big Saturday and were a huge reason for the win.

Wisconsin WR Jared Abbrederis: Wisconsin might not have come out a winner, but that had nothing to do with the sure-handed Abbrederis. He dominated an All-American cornerback, became the first Wisconsin wideout to finish with 200 receiving yards since Lee Evans in 2003 and was clearly the Badgers' MVP. He made 10 catches for 207 yards, while the rest of his team wound up with eight receptions for 88 yards. He was nearly unstoppable Saturday night and added some nice clips to his highlight film, including a leaping 33-yard catch, where he held on despite a big hit. Abbrederis made a statement in Saturday's game, and it was a pretty easy decision to hand the man a helmet sticker.

Ohio State QB Braxton Miller: Wait, Miller's coming off an injury? It certainly didn't look like it. Wisconsin had no answer for the dual-threat quarterback in the first half, and Miller did enough in the second half to keep Ohio State's 17-game winning streak alive. Miller is known more for his legs than his arm, but he impressed greatly with the latter against the Badgers. He completed 68 percent of his passes, threw for 198 yards and tossed four touchdowns to no interceptions. He flashed good arm strength and launched a 40-yard TD to Corey Brown with just one second left in the first half. That was one of the game's key plays, and Ohio State's undoubtedly happy to have Miller back. (Oh, and he did rush for 83 yards on 22 carries.) There's no quarterback controversy in Columbus after that performance.

Illinois QB Nathan Scheelhaase: It's pretty difficult to ignore a quarterback who tossed five touchdowns in one half -- even if they did come against the hapless Miami (Ohio) Redhawks. The senior signal-caller finished 19-of-24 for 278 yards and guided the Illini to six scores on their first seven drives. Outside of an interception, Scheelhaase played a perfect game. He's a no-brainer for a helmet sticker here, especially because he basically put those numbers up in just two quarters. He took a seat in the third quarter because Illinois already had the game in hand.

Iowa RB Mark Weisman: He didn't find the end zone, but he's the one who often drove the Hawkeyes downfield against the nation's No. 21 run defense. Weisman's number was called five times on the eight-play, 80-yard TD drive -- and he came up with 19 of the 27 yards in the first scoring drive that resulted in a field goal. Jake Rudock played well, but his longest pass came on a wide receiver screen. Weisman was consistent throughout and rushed 24 times for 147 yards against a good run defense. He earned his helmet sticker this week.

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